The present invention relates to kicking tees of the type used to support a standard, ellipsoidal football for kick-off.
In the sport of football, as is well known, the ball is normally supported upon a tee for kicking to the opposing team at such times as kick-offs are provided by the rules. A number of types of kicking tees have been utilized through the years, one of the most popular present models being that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,309,087. This tee includes a pair of upwardly extending supports against which the rear side of the ball, i.e., the side contacted by the kicker's foot, rests for supporting the ball in a desired orientation. The supports are of equal height and positioned in spaced relation along a line perpendicular to the normal direction of straight-away kicking of the ball from the tee.
While tees of the aforementioned design are generally satisfactory for kickers using a straight-way kicking style, where the toe meets the ball and may pass between the upright supports on the tee, injuries have resulted to so-called soccer style kickers who make ball contact with the instep. This is due to the high impact in a concentrated area just above the big toe upon contact with the rigid material of the upstanding ball support on the side of the tee from the kicker approaches. Since the proportion of place kickers employing the soccer style is ever-increasing, particularly at the higher skill levels of the sport, the aforementioned style of kicking tee is subject to serious limitations.
A kicking tee specifically designed for use by soccer style kickers shows in U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,910, has more recently come into general use. It includes a pair of rear ball supports which extend upwardly a shorter distance than those of the aforementioned tee and are offset from front to rear in order to compensate for the approach of the kicker at an angle to the direction of the kick and instep contact with the ball. One problem with this tee, however, is that the ball may be blown off rather easily, often requiring that another player hold the ball manually in high winds.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a kicking tee which provides stable support for an ellipsoidal football while essentially eliminating any possibility of injury to the kicker's foot.
Another object is to provide a football kicking tee possessing the aforementioned advantages which is simple in design and economical in fabrication.
Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.